Vinyl-coated fabrics are widely used for many decorative applications, including wallcoverings, and many of such fabrics are embossed on the exterior, vinyl surfaces thereof to provide aesthetically pleasing visible surfaces, each with a series of highs and lows occurring in a regular pattern. Heretofore, it has been known to apply a darkening ink to the highs of the embossed surfaces of such webs to provide contrast between the highs and the lows, and this is usually done by passing the web between opposed rollers, a backup roller and an embossed surface contacting roller in the form of a smooth cylindrical roller to which a thin film of ink is continuously applied. U.S. Pat. No. 2,741,215 (Cady et al.) describes apparatus that can be used to apply a colorant to the highs of an embossed surface of web.
More interesting decorative patterns can be applied to an embossed surface of a web, however, by applying a darkening ink to the lows of the embossed surface and/or to the transitional regions between the highs and the lows, to provide the web with a shadow effect. Arrangements such as that of the aforesaid '215 patent are incapable of being used to impart such a shadow effect, however, because they utilize smooth, cylindrical ink-applicating rollers to apply the ink to the web.